Raghav Poojary is the Senior VP – Digital Automation & Marcom at FirstMeridian. He plays a key role in driving end-to-end automation of key business processes through seamless implementation and adoption of state-of-the-art HR tech tools across the Group. Raghav is also an expert advisor for the Group’s Branding/Rebranding, MarCom and Talent strategy. Raghav holds a bachelor degree in Computer Science from Bangalore University and has over 16 years of experience that is spread across HR Technology & Process Automation, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Consulting, Staffing, Managed Services, Sourcing Channel Optimisation, Social Media Hiring & Talent Branding and University Hiring.
Starting from screening and selection to training and administration of employees, HR has a role to play in the functioning and success of an organisation. The pandemic paved the way for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in every department of an organisation. However, to capitalise on this, companies need skilled workers who are nimble and are future-ready. This has created a global shift in jobs and job descriptions, making it more challenging now for the HR industry to find the right fit.
People who facilitate digital transformation are an essential component of an organisation’s digital transformation journey. HR requires a talent pool with the skill set to work in collaboration with AI. Besides that, the HR processes in themselves are now partly or entirely integrated with AI.
According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) in 2021, [95 percent] of tech leaders strongly believe that AI will lead to major innovations across multiple sectors like manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and energy in the years to come. It will be apt to say that HR Artificial Intelligence is leading the world to a tech-driven future.
Some of the most evident trends in the tech-driven future will be:
Smart Digital Forms for recruitment: The recruitment and employee onboarding pattern has witnessed a change since AI has entered the industry. What was a time consuming, boring process has been optimissed by smart digital forms, sensors and screeners for employment referrals and smart techniques to find the right talent. These processes continue to evolve with the requirements.
The entire hiring process, which is aided by automation, not only speeds up the process but also aids in the monitoring and analysis of KPIs, which was certainly not a cakewalk previously.
AI Boosting work quality: AI allows employees to focus on higher-quality tasks, as it takes over the routine role that require no strategic planning. The focus in the future will be more about quality of work rather than the quantum of work. HR automation can track KPIs more effectively to identify slow areas, assist in providing training where needed and ensure a higher quality output over time.
New employment opportunities: As per a report of 2018 by The World Economic Forum, artificial intelligence was set to displace 75 million jobs as it took over increasingly mundane aspects of employment. However, 133 million new roles were said to be created, necessitating emotional and technical intelligence, such as technology design and programming. The first couple of weeks of 2022 have already witnessed a further digital leap facilitating automation across industries.
AI opens the doors to various employment opportunities wherein human skills will be in demand as the ones that require no specialised skills will be taken over by AI thereby giving individuals a chance to explore their potential.
Better employee experience: AI enhances employee experience by taking over tedious tasks that otherwise exhaust them. Employees get enough rest and space to utilise that energy in strategic planning. By making sure that employees are not overworked, it ensures a conducive environment to work in.
AI in HR will also make it easier to maintain track of leave records and reply to leave requests quickly and make tedious tasks like calculating payrolls easy. This will contribute to an overall good employee experience both in HR and other departments.
Transformation in corporate training: Training modules of a company has to resonate with the type of work and the skills that need to be developed for the role. Both these factors will witness a change once AI takes over, so there will be an evident change in corporate training. Smarter businesses engage in talent through various learning and development programmes, embrace and encourage diversity, and ensure that all employees are technologically savvy.
A study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) stated that [65 percent] of children entering primary schools today will work on jobs that do not exist currently. AI will greatly influence the occupational shift in the next decade. A tech-driven space that integrates both human effort and technology will change the face of the global market. We are living in an age wherein we can witness that transformation.
Technology has always played a role in accomplishing company goals by increasing efficiency and optimising processes. Artificial intelligence has revolutionised how humans interact with technology. An era wherein people are not just aware of the technical know-how but are driven and motivated by AI and technology awaits the future.
The HR industry will also be more flexible given the trends like gig work and remote work, which are rising prominently among the workforce in these contemporary times. A workspace driven by technology will ensure that every possible opportunity to reach organisational goals is on the plate. Harnessing the talents of these individuals to reach organisational goals can be made possible when HR is completely integrated with the recent trends of the times aided by AI.